


this time of year.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: i have an obsession with fire and ice (aka all my john/bobby fics) [36]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe – Boarding School, Alternate Universe – High School, Alternate Universe – Modern Setting, Alternate Universe – Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe – No Powers, Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Boarding School, Christmas Eve, Crushes, December writing challenge, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, High School, Inspired by Music, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Photographs, Photography, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Relationship Reveal, Relationship(s), Secret Crush, Secret Relationship, Short One Shot, Snow, Teen Crush, Tumblr Prompt, Winter, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21835324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: Oh, evergreens are snowy whiteSleigh bells ring through the nightThis time of the yearWhen Christmas is nearor:  John Allerdyce is the most popular kid at Xavier Academy and Bobby Drake has a massive crush on him.  When Bobby takes a personal photograph of John while out taking pictures for the school newspaper's winter photography competition, his friend Kitty decides to enter that photo into the competition instead of the one Bobby had chosen.  When the photo wins and is on the front page a week later, John needs to know who took that photo and why, and when he gets the chance to talk to Bobby about it, something happens that he hadn't been expecting.
Relationships: John Allerdyce & Bobby Drake, John Allerdyce/Bobby Drake
Series: i have an obsession with fire and ice (aka all my john/bobby fics) [36]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1202506
Kudos: 14
Collections: December Writing Challenge - 2019





	this time of year.

**Author's Note:**

> happy December from the artist formerly known as porcelainsimplicity. 'tis still me, just a different username.
> 
> Day 17 of my December writing challenge. Prompt by munchkinpotterhead on Tumblr. I absolutely love this one and I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Day 17 prompt: This picture of me letting the snowflakes hit my face with my eyes closed in the forest is in the school newspaper as winner for a picture competition, and you apparently took the picture and I want an explanation...wow you have very pretty eyes.  
> Day 17 title song: This Time of the Year by Brook Benton

John Allerdyce was the most popular kid at the Xavier Academy, the hero of the basketball team's state championship victory against their most hated rivals the year before. Everyone wished that they knew him, but John kept close to only two people, Jubilee and Piotr, his friends since practically the day that he walked into the school as an eleven-year-old. He was kind of a mystery to most of the student population because of it, but that just made him more appealing to some. John didn't hide the fact that he was gay, but, since he'd never had a boyfriend or anything close to one, hardly anyone knew. And he kept some things very private, even from his friends, because there were just some things that no one else needed to know about.

Bobby Drake had the biggest crush on John Allerdyce. He knew that he was about ten billion times below John's league though, so he wouldn't even entertain the thought of talking to him, let alone bringing up that he'd really like to kiss him a lot. Bobby spent most of his time subtly watching John when he could, which meant he'd hardly paid attention in British Literature this semester because John was in it with him, and Bobby planned on using the winter break to catch up on everything for the final exam that was coming right after school started again. He mostly kept to himself, but he had one good friend in Kitty, who he had been close with since coming to the school as a twelve-year-old. Kitty had been telling him to just talk to John for a while now, but that was not going to be happening. John needed someone on his level, which Bobby definitely wasn't, and it didn't matter because John wasn't gay anyway.

Two weeks before the winter break, Bobby was out in the woods behind the school looking for something that would make a good photograph. The school newspaper was running their winter photography competition and Bobby thought it would be fun to enter. He was far from the best photographer around, and he knew that he would have no chance of winning, but he was going to enter anyway. After wandering around for a while taking pictures of random things, snow began to fall and he decided he should probably go back to the school. As he was walking back, he spotted John in a clearing up ahead, his face tipped up towards the sky and eyes closed, just letting the large snowflakes hit his face. Bobby snuck up as close as he thought he could get without disturbing him, and took a picture of John like that. He had no real purpose for the photo beyond just wanting it for himself, though he figured Kitty was going to tell him again to just talk to John when she saw it.

So, of course, that was one of the first things she did.

Kitty was sitting in Bobby's room, flicking through the photos on his digital camera, when she came across the one of John and was immediately struck by how amazing it was. “This one is the best one.”

Bobby looked over at her and she showed him the photo in the small screen, prompting Bobby to grab the camera from her hands. “That is not for anyone but me to see.”

“Oh, come on, Bobby,” Kitty said, shaking her head. “Just fucking talk to him already.” 

“You know why I think that's a bad idea so I'm not even going to discuss it with you,” Bobby said seriously. “Now can you please help me pick which one of these is the best? The deadline is today and I don't want to miss it.”

Kitty sighed but took the digital camera from him, pulling out the memory chip and sticking it into her laptop before transferring all the photos onto it. “Well, if you're going to be a pussy and not enter the photo of John, then I think the one of the frozen creek is the best one.”

Bobby looked at it again when Kitty pulled it up on her laptop, agreed that it was the best, and thanked her for her help. “I don't know what I'd do without you, Kitty. I really don't.”

“Neither do I, Bobby. I make practically all of your decisions.”

“That is not funny.”

“It wasn't intended to be,” Kitty said, standing up when she noticed the time. “I've got to get to the newspaper meeting. I will enter your photo in the competition while I am there.” 

“Thank you,” Bobby said, standing to hug her. “And thank you for everything else too.”

“Just talk to him already!” Kitty called out as she left the room.

She made her way down the stairs and then to the room where the journalism club met, flipping through Bobby's photos once again before taking the one of John and transferring it into the correct folder for the competition entries. Bobby may have thought that not talking to him was going to solve his problems, but Kitty thought he just needed a gentle push. Hopefully, this would be enough of one. She was really sick of listening to him to go on and on about John.

**********

A week later, John walked through the hallways towards the cafeteria, noticing that everyone seemed to be turning and looking at him as he passed them. He had no idea why because the next game wasn't until after winter break and he hadn't exactly been spectacular in the last one. He'd never set out to be the most popular kid at the school, and he sort of really hated it. His every move seemed to spread like wildfire and the whole school would know about it before he could blink.

But he had no clue about whatever it was he'd done to get everyone talking about him this time.

John walked into the cafeteria and headed towards their usual table. He was the first to arrive, so he slung his backpack on top of it and sighed. Their pact to never go through the food lines without the others was starting to drive him crazy. He was always the first one there, Piotr took his fucking time, Jubilee took even longer than that, and right now he was starving. So, instead, he reached into his backpack and searched around, pulling out a notebook before reaching in there again for his psychology book.

And then suddenly Jubilee sat down next to him. “Who is the secret boyfriend and why are you keeping this from me?”

John looked over at her like she was crazy. “You know I'm not going to date anyone while I'm here, Jubes. I've got enough to concentrate on without adding a relationship to that.”

“That is fucking bullshit. Stop lying to me and tell me about him.”

“I honestly do not have a secret boyfriend,” John said, shaking his head. “And why do you suddenly think that?”

“Simple,” Jubilee said, shoving that day's edition of the school newspaper in his face. “This.”

John picked up the newspaper and stared at it. There was a picture of him on its front page, from one of the days when he went out into the forest and let the snowflakes hit his face, and he had absolutely no idea how that was possible. “I have no idea how this ended up in the paper. I don't even know how on earth this photo was taken.”

“Bullshit,” Jubilee said firmly. “Tell me about Bobby.”

“Bobby?”

“Bobby Drake,” Jubilee said, shaking her head. “The guy who took the picture and won the winter photography competition with it. Your secret boyfriend.”

“I do not have a secret boyfriend,” John countered back strongly. “The name Bobby Drake means absolutely nothing to me. I have never met anyone named Bobby Drake in my life.”

Jubilee studied him for a moment. “You're telling the truth, aren't you?”

“Of course, I'm fucking telling the truth!” John exclaimed. “I have no idea how any of this happened.”

Jubilee sighed and snatched the newspaper back from him. “That's a pretty goddamn personal photograph. I wonder why he took it and why he entered it into the competition. He had to have known what a stir it would cause if it won.”

“Well, don't ask me because I don't know,” John said, standing up when he saw Piotr headed towards the table. “Thank fuck. I'm starving. Let's hit the food lines.”

“I'm going to find out who this guy is,” Jubilee said as she stood as well. “Because the name Bobby Drake means nothing to me too.”

“Forget about that and get some food, Jubes. I do not want to talk about that photo anymore.” John walked past Piotr on his way to the food lines. “Piotr, hurry the fuck up. I'm starving.”

Across the cafeteria, Bobby was sitting at a different table and absolutely refusing to talk to Kitty. “Go the fuck away. I do not want to talk to you.”

“The way you're acting is fucking grade school,” Kitty said. “Fucking talk to me already.”

“I am furious,” Bobby said after a few minutes. “Absolutely furious with you.”

“There is absolutely no reason to be furious with me.”

Bobby spun around in his seat. “No reason? You've got to be fucking kidding me. We chose what photo to enter and then you went and entered the one that was supposed to be for my eyes only. Now the whole school is talking about that photo and John probably thinks that I'm some sort of stalker.”

“Well, if he does say that, you have the opportunity to correct him,” Kitty pointed out. “Just tell him that you saw him in the forest and thought it would make a good photo. That's all you have to say.”

“I'm glad that you're so confident in my ability to do that because I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to say two sentences to him.”

“Grow the fuck up already,” Kitty said, irritated. “It is just a conversation like the way we have conversations. That's all it would be. You could surely do that.”

“It would be absolutely nothing like our conversations,” Bobby hissed. “Absolutely nothing.”

Kitty just rolled her eyes and stood up. “I did you a fucking favor, asshole. Be grateful for it.”

Kitty stalked off before Bobby could say another word, and then he spotted John across the cafeteria. It didn't matter how many times he saw him. He couldn't help but think that John was the most beautiful man he'd ever seen.

But with Kitty no longer there, that meant that he could subtly watch John for the rest of dinner and he wouldn't be called out on it. So, that's what he was going to do.

**********

The talk about the photograph died down after a couple of days, and John decided to just forget it. He'd love to know why this photograph had been taken, but since the name Bobby Drake meant nothing to him, he wasn't going to try to find out either. That would require entirely too much energy, and John had to save all his energy for the basketball season.

So, when Piotr sat down at the table for their lunch hour, he started talking to him about what was going on during winter break. “My parents are going to fucking Europe, so I'm staying here.”

Piotr looked over at him with sympathetic eyes. “I'm sorry, Johnny. They really do like to take these trips and make you stay at the school during breaks, don't they?”

“They don't fucking care that they have a son, that I'm fucking sure about.” John sighed. “It's alright. I'll just use the time to study for psychology. If I fail that fucking final exam, then I think Xavier's going to have a really good reason to kick me off the team for academic ineligibility.”

“I'm sure that won't happen,” Piotr said, and then Jubilee sat down at the table and John's thought that talk of the photograph was over went out the window.

“I figured out who Bobby Drake is.”

“Really?” Piotr asked. “Who is he?”

“He's a junior like we are, and he has fucking Brit Lit with you, John, so you should have fucking known who he is.”

“That tells me nothing about who this guy is because I do not recall there being anyone named Bobby in my class.”

“That is because you don't pay attention,” Jubilee said, scanning the room with her eyes. “There. That guy in the blue shirt that's sitting with Kitty Pryde. That's Bobby Drake.”

John stared at him for a moment, pretty sure that he'd never seen the guy in his life. “If we're in class together, then I had no fucking idea about it.”

“You need to pay more attention to your fucking surroundings, Johnny boy,” Jubilee said as she stood up. “Come on, let's get some food.”

John went through the food lines with Jubilee and Piotr, then sat back down to eat. He asked Jubilee what she was doing for the winter break and she started to tell him, but his eyes kept drifting across the room to where Bobby was sitting. He desperately wanted to know about that photograph now, but he wasn't sure how to approach him about it.

Maybe he'd use winter break to figure that out.

**********

Three days into winter break, John thought he was going to lose his mind if he studied another second, but he knew he had to. Passing that psychology final was the priority because he absolutely could not get kicked off the team. He didn't really care about his popularity, but his reputation for being a good student would take a serious hit if anyone found out he'd been kicked off for academic ineligibility. So, instead of going to the library like he knew he should, he went to the cafeteria. At least that way he could eat some food while he studied. After he'd gotten a couple of slices of pizza from the food lines, he sat down at a table and reached for his backpack, only to freeze when he looked up.

Bobby Drake was sitting alone at a table across the room.

John knew he should get his book out of his backpack and start studying again, but he couldn't stop himself from just staring at Bobby. When his pizza was done, he told himself that he needed to go back to the library, but he walked towards where Bobby was sitting instead.

Bobby jumped when the chair next to his was pulled out and someone sat down in it, glancing over to see who it was before realizing it was John. He turned back to his book immediately and he absolutely was not going to freak out about this. Not looking at John was a good way to make sure that happened.

“You're the guy who took the photo of me that ended up in the school paper,” John said, not even framing it as a question. “And I really want to know how that happened.”

Bobby swallowed hard when he realized he was actually going to have to talk. Keeping his head turned away, he took a deep breath. “My friend entered the wrong photo,” he said, his throat tight. “I didn't realize she'd done it until it was in the paper.”

John was now even more interested in how this guy had such an intimate photograph of him. “She entered the wrong photo?”

Bobby just nodded, so John kept talking. “So, if you didn't take the photo for the competition, what did you take the photo for?”

Bobby cursed Kitty silently as he tried to think of something to say to John. “I just thought it would make a good photo. That's all.”

“No, it's more than that,” John said, sighing when Bobby wouldn't even look over at him. “Look at me.”

Bobby cursed Kitty again before turning towards John and starting to explain the photograph with his weak excuse again. But John wasn't hearing a word of it, too concentrated on how fucking gorgeous Bobby was, but his eyes, fuck. John could happily drown in those eyes forever. He let himself savor the beauty of them for a moment, Bobby's words barely breaking the haze around him until he finally realized the reason why Bobby had taken the photograph.

Bobby Drake had a crush on him.

John was used to people having crushes on him. There had been plenty of boys and girls over the years that wanted to date him, but John had never been interested in any of them. He'd thought them to be annoying after a while, and he'd get bored of dealing with yet another crush. He was absolutely not going to date anyone while he was at school because he had to concentrate so much on his studies.

But none of the people who had crushes on him had ever had eyes like Bobby Drake's.

John shook himself out of his stupor and took in Bobby before he reached out and put a hand on his arm. “It's okay that you wanted a photo of me like that.”

Bobby suddenly blushed a deep red and tried to stammer out an explanation, but John was lost in those eyes again. He had to know this guy better if only to drown in those eyes some more. “Bobby, stop. It's fine. Let's talk about something else. Why are you here for winter break? Everyone's dying to get out of this place for a while when a break comes up.”

Bobby swallowed hard before turning back to his book. “I, um, I told my parents I was gay last year and they kicked me out,” he said quietly. “So, I stay at school because I have nowhere to go. Professor Xavier is actually letting me attend for free because my asshole parents are obviously not paying for it anymore. That's the only reason I'm still here. I'd probably be living on the streets if he didn't.”

John instantly felt sorry for him, but he knew the last thing he needed was pity. “That sucks, man. But I totally get how you're feeling.”

“I don't see how that's possible,” Bobby murmured, trying to pay attention to his book.

John decided that since Bobby had been honest with him, he would be honest with Bobby. “Not a word about this to anyone. Not even my friends know about this. But I totally get how your feeling because my parents did the same thing to me.”

Bobby's eyes widened and he turned back to John. “What?”

“Told them during summer break two years ago,” John said, shaking his head. “I'm lucky I had enough money to get a ride here and talk to Professor Xavier. He's letting me stay for free too. Otherwise, I would have been on the streets because I had nowhere to go.”

Bobby felt his heart start to speed up when he realized that this meant John was gay. “I wish I didn't have to know what that feels like and I'm sorry that you do.”

“I'm sorry that you know what that feels like too,” John said. “I meant what I said about not telling anyone. I don't want anyone to know.”

“I won't, I promise. You won't tell anyone about me, will you? Not even my friend knows about it.”

“I won't say a word. And what do you mean friend? As in like one?”

Bobby nodded. “I haven't exactly been able to make many friends here. Only Kitty. No one else seems to want anything to do with me.”

“Well, that's just a shame.” John glanced up at the clock and realized he really needed to get back to the library. “Fuck, I've got to go study. I'll see you around, okay?”

John stood up and left before Bobby could say another word, leaving Bobby sitting there wondering what the fuck had just happened.

After a moment, Bobby decided that it was best not to think about it, so he just went back to reading his book. He did need to pass that Brit Lit final after all. Getting a scholarship for a good university was his only hope of actually being able to attend one, and failing Brit Lit would not help make that happen.

But he couldn't stop thinking about it. If he'd ever needed Kitty to talk to, it was then. But Kitty was in Illinois and Bobby had promised not to email her while she was gone so she could have a total break from school. He was going to have to process this on his own. He wasn't sure he'd be able to do that.

John Allerdyce fucking talked to him. And he seemed to care about what Bobby was saying too. What the fuck?

**********

Bobby looked around the cafeteria once he got his lunch, trying to find an open table. But most of the tables had been moved away so the floor beneath them could be cleaned, and every other available table was taken by students either eating or studying. Bobby didn't want to sit with anyone he didn't know, so he was contemplating finding a way to take his lunch to his room when he saw John sitting alone at one of the tables. Bobby stared at him for a moment before shoving down his nerves and walking in John's direction. When he got to the table, he took a deep breath as John looked up at him. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Not at all,” John said, shoving some of his books to the side so there was room for Bobby to put his tray on the table. “How are you today?”

“I'm alright,” Bobby said, trying to shove the nerves down again. “Just hungry.”

“I hear you on that,” John said, smiling. “I feel like I ate an entire pizza. I had way too much, that's for sure.”

“They do make good pizza,” Bobby said, reaching for his sandwich. “What are you studying?”

“Psychology,” John said, looking down at his notebook. “I don't know why I signed up for this class. I knew it was going to be a nightmare because Professor Summers was teaching it. He's notorious for overworking his students. But I signed up for it anyway, and now it's going to cost me my place on the team, let alone any chance of getting into a good college.”

“I know what you mean about Professor Summers,” Bobby said. “I think he about killed me with sociology last semester.”

“I was interested in taking that but after this semester, no fucking way,” John said, shaking his head. “Fucking hell, and the final's an essay too. If it was a regular test I might be okay at it, but he said that psychology is more than just answering some yes or no questions so we have to do an essay. This is a fucking nightmare.”

“If it's any consolation, I think Professor Lehnsherr is trying to kill me with all the dates I have to memorize for World History.”

“Oh, fuck, I remember that from the fall semester last year. That's so fucking hard to remember. I made myself flashcards and had someone quiz me on all of them. If you want me to do that for you, I'd be glad to. I know I still have those flashcards.”

Bobby swallowed hard at the thought of spending more time with John, trying to temper his nerves again. “That would be great.”

“We'll do that tomorrow then. It gives me time to find the flashcards.”

“Sounds good.”

John looked up after a few moments and saw Bobby had gotten a book out of his bag and was trying to read and eat at the same time. “Hamlet?”

“Yeah, I didn't really do a lot of the reading in class this semester and I'm trying to catch up before the final.”

John laughed. “You couldn't pry those books out of my hands this semester. I fell in love with Chaucer and Dickens. I was already in love with Shakespeare.”

Bobby looked over at him in disbelief. “Really?”

“Yep,” John said, turning his gaze back to his notebook and trying to find where he'd left off. “My goal in life is to become a novelist. I know I'll never be anywhere near their levels, but I figure I might be halfway decent at it. I'm always told that I write really, really good essays and I'm going to take Dr. Grey's creative writing class next semester to make sure that I've got all the right techniques down.”

“I'm going to take that class too,” Bobby murmured.

John looked up at him with a smile. “Then we'll have to sit near each other.”

Bobby nodded, trying to get his nerves under control again. “That would be great.”

They fell relatively quiet then, Bobby trying to read and John trying to study, each one commenting on their classes every so often, but it wasn't long before they were talking about things other than school, and after a while, they'd completely abandoned the schoolwork and were just talking. 

“The Mutants are my favorite band,” Bobby said after a question from John. “I just love them.”

“Me too!” John exclaimed. “They are absolutely the best band in the world at the moment if you ask me.”

“Definitely,” Bobby said, smiling. “Favorite song?”

“Oh, Abilities Abound, no doubt. I know that everyone says that (It's Just My) Mutation is the one that's the best, but the melodies and the bass guitar make Abilities Abound so, so much better.”

Bobby laughed. “I completely agree with everything you just said. Abilities Abound is definitely the best.”

John just grinned at him. “You know, we have a lot in common.”

Bobby swallowed down the nerves that had reduced in fervor but still existed. “Yeah, we do.”

“It's nice to have a friend to spend the break with,” John said, looking down at his notebook before sighing. “I am so done with this shit for the day. I'm going to go shoot hoops for a while.”

Bobby nodded and started getting his stuff together. “I'm with you on that. I need to go find Professor Xavier. I have some questions for him about what I should do when I finish school next year.”

“You ever listen to the Sentinels?” John asked, shoving his book into his backpack.

“No, I haven't. Haven't even heard of them until right now,” Bobby said, slinging his backpack on his shoulder. “Why?”

“If you like the Mutants, you'll love the Sentinels,” John said, zipping his backpack up. “So, you should give them a listen. I recommend starting with Destroy The World. It's by far their best song. Not that the others are bad, 'cause they're not. But Destroy The World is spectacular.”

“I'll have to listen to it then.”

John grinned at Bobby. “I'll see you around. Come tell me what you think after you listen to them.”

Bobby just nodded and John walked away, leaving Bobby standing there wondering how the fuck that conversation just happened.

**********

John finished getting his breakfast from the food lines, looking around and spotting Bobby at a table near the back of the cafeteria. He headed towards him like he had every morning since they'd really talked for the first time, sitting down and smiling at him. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Bobby said in response, taking a long sip of his orange juice to settle his nerves before turning towards him. “You were completely right about the Sentinels, by the way.”

John broke out into a grin. “You listened to them.”

“I listened to a couple of tracks on YouTube, and then the next thing I knew, I had bought their entire catalog of songs and stayed up all night listening to them. They're amazing. Not quite as good as the Mutants, but not far behind.”

“I am in complete agreement,” John said, poking his eggs around his plate. “What's your favorite song?”

“I heard Destroy The World and you're right about it being their best song, but my favorite of them all has to be Darken The Sky.”

“Ooh, good one. Very good one,” John said, stopping to take a bite of his eggs. “I'm so glad that you like them. There are some people that I've recommended the Sentinels to that weren't that thrilled by their music.”

“Well, I don't understand what music those people were listening to because the Sentinels are amazing.”

They talked more about music as they ate their food, John spending a lot of time subtly looking over at Bobby. Bobby, who appreciated things that John loved. Bobby, who was interested in John's writing and his ideas for novels. Bobby, who was unbelievably gorgeous with blue eyes to drown in. Bobby, who was utterly and spectacularly amazing. 

John decided that instead of the library, he was going to go shoot some hoops. He had to sort out what those thoughts of his really were before he did anything about it.

But if Bobby Drake had a crush on him, John was pretty sure that he now had a crush on Bobby Drake.

Bobby finished eating first and reached for his backpack. “I am going to go to the library for a while and hope I can keep my eyes open long enough to finish The Canterbury Tales.”

“Just go sleep, Bobby,” John said, shaking his head. “You can finish reading after you get some sleep. You must be exhausted.”

“Yeah, I kind of am.” Bobby considered it for a moment. “You're right. I am going to go sleep for a while.”

“Then I'll see you at dinner if you're awake.”

“I'll be awake by then, I'm sure,” Bobby said.

“Well, whichever one of us that gets here first can get the table,” John said, and Bobby felt the nerves flare up in him again. 

“That sounds great, Johnny,” Bobby said. “I'll see you around.”

As Bobby walked away, he wanted to slap himself for calling him Johnny when he was sure that he wasn't supposed to be doing that after only a couple of conversations.

As John sat there alone, he thought about how hearing Bobby call him Johnny made him feel all warm inside.

He really needed to go shoot those hoops.

**********

By the time Christmas Eve rolled around a week later, John and Bobby were spending practically every minute they were awake with each other. They ate together at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They studied together in the library. John had even convinced Bobby to come to play some one-on-one basketball with him, and he'd laughed when Bobby was completely hopeless at it. Bobby had a ton of fun anyway, and all of the nerves that he'd felt at being around John had pretty much completely gone away.

After breakfast, Bobby was ready to go to the library and study, but John had a different idea. So, after a few minutes of trying to convince him to do this instead, John and Bobby were walking out of the school and heading for the woods. 

“I don't really enjoy Christmas anymore,” John murmured as they walked into it. “It used to be such a big deal with my parents, and our whole extended family got together, and I guess I just miss it.”

“I miss it too,” Bobby said as they walked. “I miss my mother grinning when my father bought her new diamonds, and my brother's excitement at a new remote-controlled car he could zip up and down the street, and my father's pride when he opened up a gift that he could tell I'd really put some thought into. I miss all of it, but I miss them more.”

“I miss them more than anything too,” John said, looking up as it began to lightly snow. “Snow on Christmas Eve. That seems appropriate.”

They walked into a clearing after a few moments and John stopped walking as it began to snow harder. “We had this thing, my father and I, where we would go outside when it was snowing and let the flakes hit our face. I try to always do that here now, something to remind me of him and the fact that he once loved me. No one knew about it until you took that photo.”

Bobby suddenly felt awful. “I am so sorry, John. I didn't know that it was something that personal and I just thought it would be a good photo and...”

“Stop apologizing and come here,” John said, smiling at him. “Come do it with me.”

Bobby nodded and stepped closer to John. “I just lift my head so the flakes hit my face?”

“And close your eyes,” John said. “You'll really enjoy it, I promise.”

Bobby nodded and tilted his head towards the sky, closing his eyes and letting the snowflakes land gently on his face. As he did it, he realized why John liked it, and he was going to have to thank him for letting him in on such a personal moment. 

After a few minutes, Bobby lowered his head and opened his eyes, seeing John watching him with a look on his face that Bobby couldn't decipher. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

John took a deep breath and then just asked. “Can I kiss you?”

Bobby's eyes widened but he nodded, and John's hand came up to caress the side of his face before he pulled him into a kiss. Bobby melted at the feeling that spread through him. He'd never been kissed before, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't supposed to feel quite like that when you were.

When they broke apart, John smiled at him. “Can I kiss you again?”

Bobby murmured yes and then John's lips were back on his, but this time this kiss was harder, deeper, hungrier. John had only had a few kisses before that, but fuck, this felt incredible. And he knew, he just knew, that this was special. Bobby was special. 

They stood there kissing until they both got too cold, and as they started walking back to the mansion, John reached out and grabbed Bobby's hand. “I've always said that I'm never going to date someone while I'm here at school.”

Bobby felt the hope that he'd built up while they were kissing sink into his shoes. Of course, John wouldn't want him like that. Why would he?

“But that was my position before I saw your eyes,” John finished. “I fell in love with your eyes at first sight, and then as the days have gone on, I've fallen pretty hard for the man those eyes belong to too.”

Bobby felt the hope rise back up into his chest. “So, what are you saying exactly?”

“I can't promise you anything beyond us getting to know one another better and stealing kisses in the snow for now because I'd like it if no one knew about this yet,” John said, smiling at him. “But I'd really like to try and see where that leads us.”

Bobby stopped walking because he could not believe that this was actually happening. “You don't have to humor me.”

John turned around and looked at him. “Excuse me?”

“I know that you figured out about my crush,” Bobby murmured. “So, I'm saying you don't have to do this to humor me.”

John reached out and pulled Bobby into a kiss. “I'm not doing this for any other reason than the fact that I really want to. I want to know you better and I want to kiss you a lot more. But you crushing on me is not a problem because the last few days have made me crush on you pretty goddamn hard too. I want to give this a try. We owe that to ourselves.”

Bobby found himself smiling genuinely in John's presence for the first time. “I'd like that. I'd really, really like that.”

John grinned back and pulled him into another kiss. “Now let's get inside and warm up. Hot chocolate in the cafeteria after we get out of these coats and boots?”

“That sounds great, Johnny,” Bobby said, taking a deep breath as John took his hand and they walked back towards the school. 

He was kind of, sort of dating John Allerdyce. How the fuck did that happen?

**********

When winter break was over, John and Bobby went back to sitting at separate tables with their friends, trying to keep what happened between them during the break a secret. Their friends could instantly tell that something was different though. Kitty studied Bobby carefully before asking what was up, and Bobby told her that he just had gotten a really great Christmas present. He wouldn't elaborate on what it was though, and so Kitty remained convinced that Bobby was hiding something from her.

Meanwhile, Jubilee was pestering John to tell her what was going on. Piotr interrupted every once and a while to say that he obviously needed to tell them what it was if only just to shut Jubilee up, and Jubilee just told Piotr to shut the fuck up and went back to pestering John. Eventually, John said that he'd gotten some answers about something while they were gone, grabbed his stuff, and left.

When they were settling down for their Brit Lit final the next day, John leaned over to Bobby and whispered. “Our clearing after school's over?”

Bobby smiled and whispered back. “I'll be there and waiting.”

They shared a grin before turning their attention to the papers that were being handed out. But the people around them had heard their little exchange, and by the time the day was over, the entire school was talking about how John and Bobby were secretly dating.

Bobby stood in the hallway once his World History class was over, his hands over his face as people around him stared. He knew, he just knew, that this was going to be the end of things with John, and whoever it was that had started spreading this like wildfire had ruined something that Bobby thought could turn out to be really special. Fuck, he hated that person at the moment. He hated Kitty for putting that photograph in the competition too. If she hadn't done that, none of this would have happened, and he wouldn't end up with a broken heart because of it.

John wandered the hallways looking for Bobby after finding that he wasn't at their clearing, eventually spotting him down by Professor Lehnsherr's classroom. He walked towards him despite the looks he knew he was getting. “Bobby.”

Bobby looked up at the sound of his name and saw John headed towards him, and fuck, he hated everyone so, so much at that moment. He dreaded what John was about to say and he wanted to kill everybody for making him say it. “Hi.”

John reached out and took Bobby's hand. “Walk with me?”

“I don't know if that's a good idea,” Bobby mumbled, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Do you not want to do this anymore?” John asked, his heartbeat rising. “Because I went to our clearing and you weren't there and...”

“I just know that you won't so...” Bobby got out, his throat so tight he didn't know how he was speaking. 

John sighed and pulled Bobby close to him, bringing their lips together and smiling into the kiss when he felt Bobby melt against him. “This isn't some winter break fling to me. This is what I want. You are what I want. So, yeah, I didn't want anyone to know about it, but just because everyone does now doesn't mean I don't want this anymore. This is special, Bobby. You are special. If you don't want it, then that's fine. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want. But, fuck, I just want to fall in love with you, baby. I'm already halfway there.”

“Really?” Bobby's voice was vulnerable, and John kissed him again for reassurance. 

“Yes, really,” John said softly, kissing him again. “Please tell me you want this too."

“I want it more than anything,” Bobby whispered. “I wanted it long before I really knew you, and I want it even more now that I do.”

John's smile turned into a grin. “Then let's go to our clearing.”

“I have to get my coat and boots first.”

“Then we'll go up to your room and get them.”

Bobby stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

**********

That night in the cafeteria, Jubilee had even more questions for John, but this time about how they'd arrived at this development, and Piotr was chiming in with questions of his own. Across the cafeteria, Bobby was being grilled by Kitty about how this happened because Bobby had been sure he couldn't even talk to John when she'd left. Bobby looked over at John and their eyes met. John nodded towards the door and Bobby nodded back, and then they both were standing up and gathering their stuff, meeting in the middle. John took Bobby's hand as Jubilee got up, heading for the table where Kitty sat, calling out that she was going to compare stories and get some fucking answers. John and Bobby both knew what was about to happen, but they didn't care.

It might have been dark out, but they went out to their clearing. It started snowing just as they got there, but before they could enjoy the feeling of snowflakes on their faces, John pulled Bobby into a kiss. As they kissed, Bobby couldn't help but think that taking that photograph was the best thing he'd ever done.


End file.
